Authentic British fish and chips consist of a high-quality flaky white fish deep-fried in a thin, crispy batter served on a bed of large, twice-cooked chips (think fat fries). The key to avoiding an overly greasy product is to use a fry pot large enough that the addition of the fish doesn't reduce the oil temperature too much. Realistically, in a home environment, this will mean cooking each fish individually, but the results will be well worth the staggered serving required. Remember, never leave oil unattended and never fill any cooking vessel more than halfway with oil. Use any oil with a high smoke point and relatively neutral flavor such as canola, vegetable or soybean.
Ingredients
Twice-Cooked Chips:
- 12 large russet potatoes
- Enough canola oil to half fill your largest cooking pot or deep-fat fryer
Dry Dredge:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Beer Batter:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- One 12-ounce bottle lager beer (the lighter and fizzier, the better)
Fish:
- 3 pounds skinless, boneless large-flake white fish (we use wild Alaskan cod because of its quality and sustainability)
- Enough canola oil to half fill your largest cooking pot or deep-fat fryer
- Kosher salt
- Good-quality malt vinegar, for serving
Directions
For the chips: Peel the potatoes and cut them into approximately 5/8-inch-thick chips (i.e. 5/8-by-5/8-inch-by-potato length). Store them in water.
Heat the oil to 275 degrees F. Thoroughly drain the chips and add them to the oil. Work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Fry the chips until they are soft to squeeze but not yet browned, about 10 minutes.
Once all the chips have been blanched, spread them on a sheet tray and store them in the fridge overnight.
For service, heat the oil to 375 degrees F and fry the blanched chips, in batches if necessary, until golden brown and crispy on the outside whilst still fluffy on the inside, about 5 minutes.
For the dry dredge: Mix the flour, salt and black pepper in a large bowl and set aside.
For the beer batter: Thoroughly mix the flour, paprika and salt in a large bowl. Whilst constantly whisking, add enough beer to stiffen up the mix. Whilst still continuing to whisk, add cold water until the batter resembles heavy cream consistency and contains no lumps.
For the fish: Heat the oil to 375 degrees F. Fillet the fish into six 8-ounce portions, removing any bones, skin or blood lines that are present.
Dip the fish into the seasoned flour, tapping off any excess. Dip the fish into the batter, briefly allow the batter to drain off, and then gently place the fish into the oil, allowing the fish to float away from you. Cook in batches if necessary. The fish is ready once golden brown and trying to float, 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove the fish from the oil with a spatula and allow to drain on a cooling rack before serving on a bed of chips with lashings of kosher salt and malt vinegar.
This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional and may have been scaled down from a bulk recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
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By spice lover
on January 19, 2013
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Too Salty! Would not make again.
By kristen_5448417
Nashua, NH
on July 30, 2012
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This recipe was spot on. The batter on the fish was delicious and making the recipe (fries included was easy! We didn't rest the fries overnight in the fridge between cooking and we thought they were still good. I would definitely use this recipe again and recommend it to friends!
By laneryan
on July 22, 2012
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Very good recipe, I did cut the salt back to 1/2 and seemed to work. I also used self rising flour, it is all in your choice of breading. The self rising gave a crispy, fluffy shell really, really good recipe.
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